Department for Transport

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support councils to repair road damage caused by theincreased use of roads by heavy goods vehicles.

baroness sugg: Potholes are a menace to all road users and the Government is taking the steps to help local highway authorities improve the condition of the roads for which they are responsible, including tackling potholes. Accordingly, the Government is providing £296 million between 2016 and 2021 to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to help repair potholes and stop them forming. This funding is in addition to just under £6 billion which the Government is providing to local highway authorities for local highway maintenance in England, outside London between 2015 and 2021. The Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking an innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best use of new technology in the highways sector. The Government also announced in March 2018 that it is investing more than £900,000 in innovations using connected vehicles to help councils more efficiently manage and plan maintenance works.These trials will ultimately help provide councils with data to enable them to repair potholes before they occur as well as maintain their other assets more effectively as part of their asset management plans. This will help prevent further potholes and other road defects occurring over time. The Department for Transport is also providing funding to the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to work on technological and innovative improvements to future-proof the local road network.

Driverless Vehicles

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 3 April (HL6592), how manycollisions have been reported in the UK to date involving vehicles driven either autonomously or semi-autonomously.

baroness sugg: The Government is not aware that any road traffic collisions involving automated vehicles on public roads have been reported, as per the requirement in road traffic law. Tests involving automated vehicles must comply with all UK traffic law, including the Road Traffic Act.

Driverless Vehicles

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 3 April (HL6594),whether (1) the Tesla Model X, and (2) the Tesla Model S, have received EU or UK approval covering the use of the Tesla Autopilot system on UK roads; and whether revisions of that system are subject to any Government or EU approval before being deployed to owners’ vehicles via manufacturers’ system updates.

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 3 April (HL6594), what requirements there are for UK drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel some or all of the time when semi-autonomous vehicle systems are engaged in vehicles with systems such as Tesla Autopilot.

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 3 April (HL6594), whether the Europe Whole Vehicle Type Approval system assesses the safety of semi-autonomous driving systems supplied on vehicle models, such as Tesla Autopilot; and which vehicles with such systems are currently approved for public sale and use in (1) the UK, and (2) the EU.

baroness sugg: The TESLA Model X and Model S have European Whole Vehicle Type Approvals (EWVTA) that were issued by the Netherlands. The UK is required to permit the registration and use of vehicles with EWVTA. The behaviour of the driver remains subject to national Traffic Law.Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended) requires that the driver is in such a position that he can have proper control of the vehicle. Rule 160 of the Highway Code advises that a driver should drive with both hands on the wheel where possible. New requirements that limit the time that a driver may remove their hands from the steering control in vehicles equipped with automated lane steering have recently been introduced into Type Approval. An optical warning is required if the driver removes their hands for more than 15 seconds and this is reinforced with an acoustic warning if the period exceeds 30 seconds. If the driver does not respond to the warnings the automated lane steering function will cease to operate 1 minute after the driver removed their hands from the steering control. The Type Approval requirements apply to new vehicle types from 1 April 2018. The UK is leading a UNECE Technical Committee that is developing Type Approval requirements for software that will include provisions to identify where the software has been updated. It is expected that these new measures will be implemented in Type Approval during 2019. Type Approval records do not specifically identify individual features of the steering system and the Government does not hold data concerning the number of vehicles approved with automated lane steering functions either in the UK or in Europe.

Driving: Licensing

baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what discussions they have had, and (2) what conclusions have been reached, with the EU regarding the reciprocal recognition of driving licences post-Brexit.

baroness sugg: In the negotiations on transport which are due to commence shortly, we will be seeking a deal to ensure the mutual recognition of UK driving licences to ensure that UK motorists can continue to drive in the EU after we have left. Such a deal is in the interests of both sides. However, irrespective of the outcome of our negotiations, our ratification of the 1968 Vienna Convention and 1949 Geneva Convention will ensure that UK licence holders can continue to drive after exit throughout the EU and EEA using an international driving permit document if necessary.

Railway Stations: Access

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what decisions Network Rail have made about the access improvements that will be completed during Control Period 6 under the Access for All scheme including (1) the expected completion dates of access schemes at stations that were not completed during Control Period 5, and (2) details of the additional stations that will be completed during Control Period 6; and what are the expected completion dates for access improvements.

baroness sugg: We remain committed to improving access to the rail network. Network Rail have been asked wherever possible to continue to develop the 26 stations deferred as a result of the Hendy Report so that, upon completion of design work, work can start as soon as possible after April 2019. Exact completion dates will be available once design work is complete. Details of the additional funding available for the next Rail Control Period (2019-24) will be published later this year before we seek industry nominations for new projects.

Vehicle Certification Agency

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with companies and organisations representing the automotive sector about the role of the Vehicle Certification Agency.

baroness sugg: The Government and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) officials are in regular contact with companies and organisations representing the automotive sector. This is part of a continuing engagement process to provide information on VCA’s role as the UK’s Type Approval Authority and regulator, allowing companies to plan their development and manufacturing operations efficiently.

Vehicle Certification Agency

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they expect to be the role, domestically and internationally, of the Vehicle Certification Agency (1) after Brexit, and (2) during a transitional period.

baroness sugg: Subject to the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement by both the UK and European Parliaments later this year, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will continue to undertake its EU approval activity during a transitional period. Irrespective of agreement on the transitional period, the VCA will continue its role as the UK’s Type Approval Authority issuing UK national approvals, approvals to UNECE regulations and acting as the UK’s National Designated Body for OECD. The role of the VCA in the EU approval system after a transitional period remains subject to future relationship negotiations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Databases

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

lord henley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy estimates that by volume more than 90% of its data is hosted in the UK. It has been necessary to provide an estimate given an ongoing, internal programme of work to move from UK-based hosting arrangements to cloud-based services that have their primary data centre within the UK and a secondary data centre overseas.

Artificial Intelligence

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of investment they will make in the next five years to support their Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge of Growing the AI & Data-Driven Economy; and how much of that investment will be spent on artificial intelligence.

lord henley: More than 50 leading technology companies and organisations have contributed to the development of an AI Sector Deal worth almost £1 billion, including almost £300 million of private sector investment into UK sector. The deal between government and industry, announced recently by my rt. hon Friends the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, also includes more than £300 million of newly allocated government funding for AI research to make the UK a global leader in this technology. Building on the commitment made in the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and its AI Grand Challenge, the deal marks the first phase of a major innovation-focused investment drive in AI which aims to help the UK seize the £232 billion opportunity AI offers the UK economy by 2030 (10% of GDP).

Artificial Intelligence

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what metrics theywill determine whether the UK has become “the go-to destination for AI innovation and investment”, as set out in their Industrial Strategy White Paper; and by what date they intend to achieve that aim.

lord henley: AI is emerging in its own right as a nascent industry with the potential to raise the productivity of diverse sectors and create entirely new jobs. To maximise this potential, the recently announced AI Sector Deal will establish a new AI Council to bring together respected leaders in the field from across academia and industry; a new delivery body within the government – the Office for Artificial Intelligence – to support it; and a new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. Oversight of the implementation of the Sector Deal will be led by the Office for Artificial Intelligence, which will review progress against objectives regularly. The new government Office for Artificial Intelligence will be established with responsibility for implementing this Sector Deal. It will support the AI Council which will oversee and drive the implementation of the deal. An early role for the Office for AI will be to agree implementation plans for each section of the deal, including agreed success metrics. Membership of the AI Council will be announced ahead of the first meeting. The main aim of the AI Council will be to provide strategic leadership and momentum in delivery. The Office for AI will report to the AI Council regularly and will be subject to challenge sessions from government ministers on progress in implementing the Sector Deal. The Industrial Strategy team will provide the challenge on delivery timetable, metrics and ambition on outcomes as well as providing updates and escalation to ministers across the suite of Sector Deals.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nigeria: Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for further Islamist violence in Nigeria following reports of unprovoked attacks on Christian communities in the north of that country, including the murder of two Catholic men on 5 April.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by the deaths of two men on 5 April in Kaduna State. The facts of this and all other incidents should be established and perpetrators brought to justice. The UK calls on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the complex underlying causes of these incidents to reduce the potential for further violence.

Syria: Military Intervention

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the consequences that should follow, through the United Nations, in relation to Turkey's reported violation of UNSCR 2401 on 24 February.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK fully supports UN Security Council Resolution 2401 and has convened emergency briefings of the UN Security Council to press for implementation of the ceasefire. In line with the resolution, we have urged de-escalation in Afrin, the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid, while recognising Turkey's legitimate security interests. The genesis and motivation of this resolution was to assist civilians by calling for weekly deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations of the critically ill, especially in Eastern Ghouta, which at the time was subject to bombardment and siege by the Assad regime.

Syria: Military Intervention

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence that Turkey is settling Syrian Islamist allied militias and their families within Afrin Canton; and if so, what action they will take.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have conclusive evidence to suggest that Turkish-backed forces are settling in Afrin. The UK has consistently called for freedom of movement for those caught up in the violence, in accordance with international humanitarian law. This includes the right of return and protection of property for any internally displaced persons who have fled following the recent operation in Afrin. It is essential that the rights of internally displaced persons are protected and those who wish to return are able to do so freely. We will continue to raise this point with Turkish counterparts in our discussions with them.

Lezgin Botan

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the 18-year prison sentence imposed on the Turkish opposition MP Mr Lezgin Botan; and what response, if any, they intend to make.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We expect Turkey to undertake any legal processes against MPs fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. We regularly encourage Turkey to respect its human rights obligations, including the right to freedom of expression. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas consistently raise these issues with their Turkish counterparts and will continue to do so.

Iraq: Islamic State

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Iraq about reports by the Associated Pressthat 19,000 people accused of links to ISIS are being heldin detention; and whether they will seek to discover whether there has been due judicial process for 3,000of those people reported tohave been sentenced to death for alleged membership.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of reports of the detention and prosecution of Daesh-linked individuals in Iraq. We remain clear that, where there is evidence that crimes have been committed, members of Daesh should be brought to justice, in accordance with due legal process.We discuss human rights issues – including the importance of due process and the right to a fair trial – in our conversations with the Government of Iraq. In particular, we regularly raise our concerns with the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's Advisory Council and the Chief Justice. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Iraq recently set out our concerns about the application of the death penalty with the Iraqi Justice Minister. We will continue to raise this issue with the Iraqi Government.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take in regard to reports of the possible use of chemical weapons by Israeli forces againstprotestors.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are not aware of any such reports.

Ameer As'ad

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israelregarding the prison conditions experiencedby wheelchair user Ameer As’ad who is on hunger strike in order to be provided with an accessible toilet in Israeli prison.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Whilst we have not raised this specific issue, we urge the Israeli authorities to ensure that prisoners are provided with the necessary health care and other provisions that they require in line with international obligations.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to ensuring that the United Nations Security Council completes President Putin's 2013 initiative to rid Syria of chemical weapons.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains committed to ensuring the removal of all chemical weapons in Syria, but this is complicated by Russia's refusal to hold the Asad regime to account for chemical weapons use. In 2013, Russia committed itself to ensuring that Syria would stop the use of chemical weapons and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile. Yet since then investigations mandated by the UN have found the Asad regime responsible for using chemical weapons in at least four separate attacks. Russia has vetoed UN Security Council resolutions on Syria chemical weapons six times since 2017, including following the chemical attack in Douma. The Syrians have still not provided a comprehensive declaration of their programme, as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.

Syria: Military Intervention

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to all non-lethal alternatives to military action in Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The decision by the UK, US and France to conduct a carefully targeted military action to degrade and deter further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime was only taken because all non-military options had been exhausted. These efforts have included a negotiated agreement with the regime, guaranteed by Russia, to declare and give up all its chemical weapons capabilities, but the regime and Russia have subsequently failed to respect their commitments. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism to attribute responsibility for attacks was established but later blocked by Russia. Russia has also vetoed any attempt at the Security Council to hold those responsible to account. The EU has brought sanctions against those involved in the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Regrettably these diplomatic efforts had proved insufficient to prevent continued chemical attacks. The UK Government remains clear that the UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties, mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254, remains the forum for reaching a lasting political settlement to end the conflict in Syria.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and other partners to ensure that Syria is free of chemical weapons.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains committed to working with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and other partners to ensure that use of chemical weapons in Syria stops, and that the Syrian chemical weapons programme is fully dismantled. In the financial year 2017/ 2018, the UK contributed £110,000 to the OPCW's Trust Fund for Syria Missions, to support its teams analysing Syria's chemical weapons declaration and investigating ongoing use of chemical weapons in Syria. We have also helped train inspectors in forensic interviewing and negotiating skills, shared our information on the attacks being investigated, and lobbied other states to be similarly supportive. The UK strongly supported the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism from the outset of their work in 2015, and we continue to press for the re-establishment of a similar mechanism.

Syria: Crimes against Humanity

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the establishment of a Regional Tribunal to bring to trial those responsible for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria modelled on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK strongly supports efforts to pursue accountability for war crimes in Syria. In December 2016, the UK co-sponsored the General Assembly resolution which established the new UN International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria. Future prosecutions could be through a referral to the International Criminal Court or by hybrid, specialised or national courts.

Syria: Crimes against Humanity

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what judicial mechanisms they are putting in place with international parties to bring to justice those responsible for the use of chemical weapons, summary executions, hostage-taking, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, other acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK strongly supports efforts to pursue accountability for war crimes in Syria. In May 2014, the UK co-sponsored a UN Security Council resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russia and China vetoed this resolution. Through our Conflict Stability and Security Fund, we are supporting work which collects and documents evidence of war crimes; and builds capacity to investigate sexual and gender based violence cases in Syria. This includes support to the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) whose role it is to conduct investigations and collect evidence to support future prosecutions of perpetrators of the most serious crimes under international law. Future prosecutions could be through a referral to the International Criminal Court or by hybrid, specialised or national courts.

Iraq: Islamic State

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the testimony of Rita Habib, a Christian Iraqi woman, published in The Times on 16 April, who was held for three years as a slave by Isis and suffered repeated sexual violence, that her owners included an Iraqi, Saudi Arabians and a Syrian man; and what assistance they are giving to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The testimony of Rita Habib contained appalling reports of human rights abuses and violations, perpetrated against her by members of Daesh. The UK condemns all such atrocities committed. We welcome the commitments of Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi to protect all Iraqi citizens and to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses and violations and to hold those responsible to account. We will continue to make clear that we expect the Government of Iraq to act on that commitment. We are working with our international partners and the Government of Iraq to ensure that Daesh is held to account for its appalling crimes, including against Christians. The Investigative Team established under UN Security Council Resolution 2379 will gather evidence of Daesh crimes, beginning in Iraq, and the UK has committed £1 million to the establishment of this team. In March I visited Iraq and launched the UK's Fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, encouraging efforts to hold Daesh to account for its crimes, build support for survivors of sexual violence and end the stigma attached to victims of those crimes. In Syria, over £1.3 million has been allocated through our Conflict, Security and Stabilisation Fund to support work which collects and documents evidence of war crimes; and builds capacity to investigate sexual and gender based violence cases.

Syria: Military Intervention

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not seek a mandate from the UN Security Council before taking military action against Syria in response to the chemical attack on Douma.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Russia’s repeated shielding of the Asad regime from investigation and censure by the UN Security Council meant further UN-sponsored action was not possible. On 10 April, Russia vetoed a draft Resolution that would have established an independent UN investigation. This follows their termination of the independent Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism last year after the appalling chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun. Russia has used its veto six times on the topic of chemical weapons use in Syria since the start of 2017. The military action undertaken by the UK was permitted under international law as set out in the government’s legal position, which can be viewed on the gov.uk website.

Sierra Leone: Criminal Proceedings

baroness stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK funding is being used, or has been used, to support special criminal sessions in the High Courts of Sierra Leone; if so, what assessment they have made of whether those sessions have resulted in the passing of death sentences; and whether that funding complies with their Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Human Rights Guidancepublished in January 2017.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Her Majesty's Government funding is not being, and has not been, used to support special criminal sessions in the High Courts of Sierra Leone.

Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether relations with the Commonwealth are an element of the Global Britain initiative; and if so, how significant an element.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Commonwealth is an important element of Global Britain, as evidenced by the recent announcement of 9 new diplomatic posts in Commonwealth countries.

Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of whether the geographical distance between the UK and the nations of the Commonwealth will have an impact on their intention to collaborate more closely with them.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not believe the geographical distance between the UK and other Commonwealth countries will prevent deeper collaboration on the important issues Commonwealth Heads of Government addressed at their meeting in London on 19-20 April. Forty-six Heads of Government travelled to London for the meeting. This demonstrates the importance member states attach to the Commonwealth and their desire to play a full and substantive role in it.

Commonwealth

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issue of the future Head of the Commonwealth; and what considerations underpin their position on this.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: At their Meeting on 20 April, Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed that the next Head of the Commonwealth would be His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales

Syria: White Helmets

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding if any they provide to the White Helmets in Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has been supporting Syria Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets) since 2013. As of 31 March 2018, the total sum of funding that the British Government has provided to the White Helmets is over £35 million.

Syria: Diplomatic Relations

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of the UK's diplomatic relations with the government of Syria; and whether they have any plans to change those relations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has not severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Since the withdrawal of our staff from the British Embassy in Damascus in February 2012 and the closure of the Syrian Embassy in London in August 2012, our dealings have been minimal and occur only in relation to essential consular or administrative issues. There is no plan to change this. The UK believes the Asad regime has lost its legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people and that a sustainable political settlement in Syria ultimately requires a political transition away from the current regime.

Syria: War Crimes

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are compiling a list of persons allegedly responsible for war crimes in Syria; and if so, whether and when those names will be submitted to the International Criminal Court.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK strongly supports efforts to pursue accountability for war crimes in Syria. We have provided funding to non-governmental organisations and to the UN's International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) whose role is to investigate and collect evidence of the most serious crimes committed in Syria. The UK also supports the important work of the independent UN Commission of Inquiry, which is reporting on human rights violations and abuses. We have also taken significant steps to sanction those linked to the violent repression of civilians in Syria. With UK support, the EU now has such sanctions in place against 261 persons and 67 entities. In May 2014, the UK co-sponsored a UN Security Council resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russia and China vetoed this resolution.

Middle East: Genocide

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the view expressed by the then Prime Minister in 2016, speaking about events in Syria and northern Iraq, that “there is a very strong case here for saying that it is genocide, and I hope that it will be portrayed and spoken of as such”, what assessment they have made of the extent to which actions taken in those areas constitute genocide.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for ensuring that the perpetrators of crimes such as gross violations of human rights, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity face the prospect of being held to account, and that any final settlement does not include amnesties, in order to deter future genocides and crimes against humanity.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It is UK policy that any determination on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for competent judicial bodies, rather than for governments. The UK is fully committed to the principle that there must be no impunity for the most serious international crimes. We continue to voice our support for this principle, and continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court and the international tribunals to tackle impunity for these crimes.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking action (1) bilaterally, and (2) multilaterally, to seek to ensure that Joseph Kabila does not stand as a candidate in the next presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has repeatedly called for President Kabila to honour both the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Constitution and the 31 December agreement and conduct a peaceful transfer of power in DRC via credible elections. The Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin MP, made these points directly with representatives of the DRC government when she visited DRC last week. Our Embassy in Kinshasa regularly presses the DRC authorities to ensure they enable the Congolese people to meet their democratic aspirations by electing a new President.The UK continues to coordinate closely with the EU and at the United Nations on the DRC's electoral commitments. We are also working alongside regional partners; for example, in February in Addis Ababa the UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes joined other members of the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes (ICGGL) to discuss presidential elections in DRC.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe following the Foreign Secretary's visit to Iran in December 2017.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We remain very concerned about all our dual nationals detained in Iran. We continue to raise their cases with the Iranian government at every opportunity, and make decisions in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases. However, we will not be providing a running commentary. We judge this will not be helpful, or in the best interest of each case.

China: Trade

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the UK–China 9th Economic and Financial Dialogue in December 2017, what cooperation with the government of China on the Belt and Road Initiative is currently taking place; and what future cooperation is planned.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Prime Minister discussed the Belt and Road Initiative with Chinese leaders during her visit to China in January 2018. They agreed that the UK and China will seek to identify how best we can cooperate on the Initiative across the region, ensuring it meets international standards. We are currently taking forward the practical cooperation agreed at the most recent Economic and Financial Dialogue. This cooperation includes the appointment of a UK Financial and Professional Services Envoy for the Belt and Road; agreement to jointly identify pilot projects in infrastructure; and establishment of a mechanism to facilitate the joint identification and evaluation of Belt and Road projects involving UK and Chinese companies.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

lord bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost to the UK in hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: A detailed summary of the full costs to the UK of hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting​ (CHOGM) will be published when the relevant expenditure has been brought to account and audited.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Drugs

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the amount ofmoney, if any, that NHS England would have saved in 2017–18 if all pharmaceutical specials dispensed in community pharmacies had been procured according to the Scottish Government's framework for theprocurement of specials.

lord o'shaughnessy: No such assessment has been made.

NHS: Drugs

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to adopt the Scottish Government's framework for the procurement of specials for community pharmacies in England.

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to bring forward secondary legislation to regulate the costs of specials dispensed in community pharmacies in England.

lord o'shaughnessy: The powers in the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017 enable the Government to reimburse for specials dispensed in primary care in different ways such as considering quotes of suppliers (similar to the Scottish arrangements) and not reimbursing pharmacies at all if for example they have been provided the medicine by a central service. The Government is considering how to implement its powers in the 2017 Act and any proposals to implement changes will be subject to consultation with relevant stakeholders.Further to the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017, the Government ran a consultation on new Regulations for the provision of information about health service products. We are finalising the Regulations which are expected to be laid and enter into force later in 2018. The Information Regulations include requirements in relation to special medicinal products which will ensure that the Government obtains information from all manufacturers and importers. This information will make the reimbursement arrangements for the most commonly used special medicinal products more robust. However, where there are concerns about an individual price, it will also enable us to request from suppliers’ information on the costs of supplying a product.

HIV Infection: Females

baroness gould of potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actionthey are taking to meet the needs of women with HIV as identified in the report Women and HIV: Invisible no longer published in April by the Sofia Forum and the Terence Higgins Trust.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England welcomes the Sofia Forum report into the needs of women with HIV. The report provides a summary of the findings of two studies aimed at understanding the needs of women living with or affected by HIV in the United Kingdom and a number of recommendations.In order to meet the needs of women with HIV as identified in the report, NHS England is currently considering how they can address stigma, implementation of peer support and mental health in their HIV services and will take these recommendations for women into account. The report will be considered as part of the evidence base in any future reviews of the HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion programme.In addition to routine data collection, detailed gender breakdowns will be routinely included as part of Public Health England’s HIV Official Statistics. Public Health England is piloting enhanced surveillance to better understand the circumstances associated with men and women acquiring HIV and the reasons for delays in testing for HIV among them.

Community Hospitals: Rural Areas

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they envisage for community hospitals in rural areas providing 'step-up step-down' and rehabilitation facilities.

lord o'shaughnessy: ‘Step up’ care (preventing unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals or long term care) and ‘step down’ care (receiving patients from acute care for rehabilitation and to support timely discharge from hospital) are considered to be intermediate care services.Whilst these intermediate care services can be provided in a community hospital, it is also possible to provide them in a care home or home setting. It is for the local commissioners, whether they are in rural or urban areas, to determine the most appropriate location to provide these services for their local system based on local needs and issues. It is also important that this choice recognises that the principle that ‘home’ - a person’s usual place of residence – is generally the best place for people to be whenever possible.

Community Hospitals: Sales

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the proceeds from the sale of a community hospital by NHS Property Servicesis put towards the provision of health care in that local community.

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what legal basis NHS Property Servicesis permitted to sell a property which has been endowed for use as a community hospital facility, as in the case of the Lambert Hospital in Thirsk.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government’s response to Sir Robert Naylor’s review on the National Health Service estate, published in January 2018, confirmed that properties owned by NHS Property Services are national rather than local assets and are rented to local providers. When moving out of those properties, rental payments stop which creates a financial benefit to the provider. Therefore, capital receipts from the sale of NHS Property Service properties will continue to be pooled at a national level and the investment directed to where it is most needed by patients. Local clinical commissioning groups can put forward a business case for local investment to NHS England for consideration.The ownership of the Lambert Community Hospital in Thirsk transferred to NHS Property Services Ltd in 2013 as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. NHS Property Services is not aware of any restrictions on title which prevents the sale of the property.

Suicide: Students

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the suicide rate among students compared with the general population of the same age; and what measures they proposeto address any concerns identified.

lord o'shaughnessy: Public Health England and the Office for National Statistics are working with stakeholders to develop new analyses of suicide rates within higher education institutions. The findings will be published in due course.

Mental Health Services: Young People

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to remove barriers preventing young people from receiving essential mental health support, following the findings set out in the survey by YoungMinds.

lord o'shaughnessy: We have made an additional £1.4 billion available over the course of 2015/16-2020/21 to transform services and ensure access to specialist mental health services for an additional 70,000 children and young people a year by 2020/21. This funding will also ensure that, by 2020/21, 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases and 50% of patients (all ages) experiencing a first episode of psychosis receive treatment within two weeks of referral. We are currently exceeding or on track to meet these waiting time standards. The recent Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper, published by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, is supported by an additional £300 million and contains key proposals to improve access to mental health support for children and young people. This includes through the creation of new Mental Health Support Teams, which will deliver interventions to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs in or close to schools and colleges (and be able to refer those with more severe needs to specialist services). The Green Paper also announced the piloting of a four week waiting time to improve access to National Health Service mental health services for those requiring more specialist help, which we will roll out in a number of trailblazer areas alongside the support teams. A copy of the Green Paper is attached. We will also ensure that at least one teacher in every primary and secondary school will receive mental health awareness training by the end of the Parliament (and by the end of 2019 for secondary schools). This will improve the capability of school staff to promote awareness of mental health needs, and provide them with the skills, confidence and knowledge to spot common signs and triggers of mental health issues, and to help children and young people receive appropriate support.



Transforming CYP Mental Health
(PDF Document, 1.14 MB)

Baby Care Units: Admissions

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 14 March (HL5971) showing a “clear overall upward trend” in the number and rate of hospital episodes for neonates from 2000–01 to 2016–17, what assessment they have made of the reasons for that increase; and what was the annual expenditure resulting from such admissions in each of those years.

lord o'shaughnessy: Two factors have led to the increase in the number and rate of hospital episodes for neonates. Firstly an increase in the numbers of extremely preterm children admitted and surviving over the last 16 years, a trend that continues. Secondly, there has been an increase in admission of babies born at full term. This is a factor that has been recognised and that we are tackling through the Addressing Term Admissions In Neonatal Units (ATAIN) programme. The ATAIN programme will support healthcare professionals to improve outcomes for babies, mothers and families through the delivery of safer care with a focus on four clinical areas: respiratory conditions; hypoglycaemia; jaundice; and asphyxia (perinatal hypoxia-ischaemia). ATAIN aims to ensure that no baby is separated from their mother unnecessarily by admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. The following table shows the data supplied by hubs in the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Expenditure exercises which NHS England undertakes annually against the NPoC (National Programme of Care) code E08 Neonatal Critical Care. This data covers specialised services expenditure only and no data is held prior to 2013/14 when NHS England came into being.   YearExpenditure £ million2013/147242014/156902015/167052016/17721 The financial values have been consolidated through the use of NPoC (National Programme of Care) codes and are taken from our annual CCG expenditure exercise. This exercise uses Provider Aggregate Contract Monitoring as the basis for the data; where this data is incomplete hubs will apportion / estimate any missing values.

Attorney General

Crimes against Humanity: Prosecutions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Crown Prosecution Service has used (1) the International Criminal Court Act 2001, and (2) the Coroner’s and Justice Act 2009, on the basis of universal jurisdiction; what were those cases; and what were the offences the individuals were charged and convicted for.

lord keen of elie: The Crown Prosecution Service has to date not prosecuted any individual on the basis of universal jurisdiction for offences contrary to the International Criminal Court Act 2001 and the Coroner’s and Justice Act 2009.There have been a small number of prosecutions for international crimes by the CPS, including those of Anthony Sawonuik who was convicted of war crimes from World War II and Faryadi Sarwar Zardad who was convicted of torture and hostage taking as a result of offences committed in Afghanistan.

Genocide: Prosecutions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Crown Prosecution Service has charged individuals with the crime of genocide; and how many convictions were ultimately secured.

lord keen of elie: The Crown Prosecution Service has to date not charged any individual with the crime of genocide.There have been a small number of prosecutions for international crimes by the CPS, including those of Anthony Sawonuik who was convicted of war crimes from World War II and Faryadi Sarwar Zardad who was convicted of torture and hostage taking as a result of offences committed in Afghanistan.

Genocide: Prosecutions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in cases blocked by the UK Courts’ extradition of alleged genocidaires to the countries requesting their extradition in order to prosecute them there, whether there has been any consideration of prosecuting those alleged genocidaires in the UK on charges of genocide under the principle of universal jurisdiction; if so, what were the challenges; and what has been done to overcome them.

lord keen of elie: Before a prosecution can take place, there has to be a police investigation. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has no powers to investigate allegations of crime. The war crimes team of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) is responsible for the investigation of all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. They decide whether an investigation is required and how it should be conducted. SO15 received a request from Rwandan authorities in January 2018 to investigate five individuals in the UK in relation to alleged genocide offences in Rwanda dating from around 1994. SO15 has not launched an investigation as it is currently assessing material provided from Rwandan authorities to determine whether it will be possible to carry out further scoping of the allegations.

Department for International Development

Democratic Republic of Congo: Humanitarian Aid

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report by the International Crisis Group, Electoral Poker in DR Congo, published on 4 April, in respect of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

lord bates: The UK recognises the concerns outlined by the International Crisis Group (ICG) in its latest report and regularly raises the issue of tackling the root causes of conflict and insecurity that are driving the humanitarian crisis with the Government of DRC. Key to this is the holding of elections in December 2018. This is critical to a peaceful and democratic transfer of power, and longer-term peace and stability in DRC. My colleague, the Minister for Africa, Harriet Baldwin visited the DRC last week, where she saw first-hand the impact of the conflict and insecurity upon the Congolese population. She announced a further contribution of £22 million to the humanitarian appeal for the DRC, bringing UK aid’s support to £227 million over 5 years (2017-2022).

Department for Education

Disabled Students' Allowances

lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government which groups and individuals they are asking for expert advice for their review of the second assessment for the identification of disabled students wishing to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance if the first assessment or identification has been carried out before the age of 16.

lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any of the groups or individuals providing expert advice to their review of the second assessment for the identification of disabled students wishing to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowancereceive benefit from the payment that is charged for the second assessment, or have any members who receive such benefits.

viscount younger of leckie: In February 2018 officials from the Department for Education wrote to the following organisations seeking their views on whether it should still be necessary for students with specific learning difficulties to have a post-16 diagnostic assessment when applying for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs): The Association of Dyslexia Specialists in Higher Education (ADSHE), The British Dyslexia Association, The British Psychological Society, Dyslexia Action, The Helen Arkell Institute, The National Association of Disability Practitioners, the National Union of Students, the Real Group, the University of Southampton, and The Professional Association for teachers and assessors of students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)/the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee. It is inevitable that some of the organisations whose expert view we have sought for this review will provide diagnostic assessments, training to become diagnostic assessors or accreditation of that training, and will receive payment for those services. We will be mindful of that in reaching a final decision on the review.

Music: Finance

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made since April 2016 of the effect of changes to funding of local music services on community music ensembles, particularly youth music ensembles and choirs, and on progression routes through to national ensembles and conservatoires for the most talented.

lord agnew of oulton: In addition to funding that schools receive to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, department funding for music education hubs has increased from £58 million in 2014/15 to £75 million each year until 2020. Music education hubs support and enhance the quality of music teaching in schools, reaching beyond school boundaries, to ensure that the aims of the National Plan are delivered. In addition, we recently announced £96 million for arts education in 2018-20, including over £60 million for the Music and Dance Scheme, which enables our most talented young musicians to attend specialist institutions. Since April 2016 the department has not made any assessment of the effect of changes to funding of local music services. However, since 2013, Arts Council England has commissioned an independent analysis of Music Education Hubs’ annual performance. The reports, which provide information on music education hubs’ activities, including their support for ensembles and choirs, are at: www.artscouncil.org.uk/children-and-young-people/music-education-hubs-survey The most recent of these reports is attached.



HL6873_Key_Data_On_Music_Education_MEH_2016
(PDF Document, 1.43 MB)

Music: Primary Education

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports or assessments they have made or received on the quality and quantity of music education provided by schools at primary level, including how this has been augmented and supported by music education hubs; and in each case for which year.

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports or assessments they have made or received on the quality and quantity of music educationat primary level education outsideschool activities since September 2015; and in each case for which year.

lord agnew of oulton: Responses to the Department for Education’s ‘Teacher Voice Omnibus’ Survey (conducted between May and June 2016), indicated that the median average time primary school teachers spent teaching music as a dedicated subject was 30 minutes per week. The amount of provision and support provided by music education hubs to augment this, is set out in annual reports published by Arts Council England. In 2015/16, the latest year for which data has been published, hubs provided or supported 14,866 ensembles and choirs, including 6,887 that are area-based. 342,225 children and young people regularly took part in these, including 34,724 key stage 1 pupils and 174,657 key stage 2 pupils. The 2015/16 report is attached.



HL6873_Key_Data_On_Music_Education_MEH_2016
(PDF Document, 1.43 MB)

Music: GCSE

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have taken music subjects at GCSE level for each year since the introduction of the English Baccalaureate.

lord agnew of oulton: The figures presented in the table below show the total number of pupils, at the end of key stage 4,[1] who entered GCSE (or equivalent) music since the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (2009/10).[2]Academic yearPupils at the end of key stage 4Pupils entering GCSE music[3]Percentage of pupils entering GCSE music3 2009/10639,26345,4337 2010/11627,09343,1577 2011/12620,61740,7617 2012/13632,39741,2567 2013/14[4]618,43742,4467 2014/15611,02443,6987 2015/16600,42541,6507 2016/17587,64038,901[5]7  [1] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017 (subject time series table).[3] Includes pupils who were absent, whose results are pending, and results which are ungraded or unclassified.[4] In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures data. These are: 1) Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations which: restrict the qualifications counted; prevent any qualification from counting as larger than one GCSE; and cap the number of non-GCSEs included in performance measures at two per pupil.2) An early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification, in subjects counted in the English Baccalaureate. [5] 2017 figures are based on provisional data. Figures for all other years are final.

Music: Education

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the additional investment needed to enable all young people to access high-quality music education, to learn a musical instrument and to enable clear progression routes to be available and affordable to all those who wish to continue.

lord agnew of oulton: In addition to funding that schools receive to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, department funding for music education hubs has increased from £58 million in 2014/15 to £75 million each year until 2020. Music education hubs support and enhance the quality of music teaching in schools, reaching beyond school boundaries, to ensure that the aims of the National Plan are delivered.  The department has not made estimates of the additional investment needed to enable all young people to access high-quality music education. However, the National Plan for Music Education made it clear that in most cases Department for Education funding would be only one of a number of funding sources available to music education hubs.

Music: Education

baroness bonham-carter of yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatreports or assessments they have received from Ofsted about whether schools are implementing a broad and balanced curriculum that includes music; and any action being taken if schools are judged on this measure as "inadequate", particularly in schools that are otherwise judged to be outstanding.

lord agnew of oulton: All schools should provide pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum. While Ofsted does not grade individual curriculum subjects as part of school inspections, it does assess and report on the curriculum as a whole. Where a school is found not to be offering a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils, this will be reflected in the inspection outcome. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is examining how schools deliver the curriculum as part of its research programme. Attached is a recent recent commentary, published by Ofsted, on the primary and secondary curriculum in which the Chief Inspector emphasises the importance of breadth in the curriculum. Findings from Ofsted’s curriculum review will help inform the development of its 2019 inspection framework.



ttachment_Commentary_on_Primary_and_Secondary_Cu
(PDF Document, 416.12 KB)

Foster Care

lord mackay of clashfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise the awareness of children in foster care of their right to advocacy services.

lord mackay of clashfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to making it mandatory for local authorities to conduct exit interviews with every foster carer who leaves the role.

lord mackay of clashfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to encourage local authorities to improve the quality of their responses to enquiries about fostering.

lord agnew of oulton: Foster Care in England, an independent review of the fostering system, published on 6 February 2018, and the Education Select Committee report, published on 22 December 2017, made a number of recommendations relating to the recruitment and retention of foster parents. The reports include specific recommendations regarding initial enquiries into fostering, as well as improving the exit interview process and advocacy for children in foster care. We are carefully considering the recommendations made by both reports and the government response will be published in the coming months.

Foster Care

lord mackay of clashfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of peer-to-peer support groups in improving foster care retention.

lord agnew of oulton: The independent review into the fostering system, ‘Foster Care in England’, published 6 February 2018, and the Education Select Committee report, published 22 December 2017, considered the recruitment and retention of foster parents and the support foster parents receive, including peer support. The department is carefully considering the recommendations and the government response will be published later this year. In addition, the department funds projects to support foster families through the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. This includes the Mockingbird Family Model. One of that project’s aims is to increase rates of foster parent recruitment and retention, which includes providing peer support to foster parents. The project will be subject to rigorous independent evaluation and will inform the evidence base of what works in children’s social care.

Pre-school Education: Standards

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for early years education of the findings by TeachFirst that one in three children are not "school ready" when they start primary school.

lord agnew of oulton: Teach First’s analysis of the latest Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results shows that 29.3% of children in England did not achieve a good level of development (GLD) in 2017. However, the proportion of children arriving at primary school with a GLD is continuing to increase year on year, rising from 51.7% in 2013 to 70.7% in 2017. Reception year presents a window of opportunity to address gaps within a child’s development before they have a chance to widen. In ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ (attached), the government sets out its ambitious plans to support teachers to address these development gaps. Plans include a £26 million investment in a Centre of Excellence and national network of English Hubs, focussing on raising standards in reception year and key stage 1, and plans to work with experts to identify and share strong reception year practice. Evidence also shows that a highly qualified workforce is strongly associated with higher quality provision and better child outcomes. We continue to support graduates in the sector by funding the Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme, including bursaries and employer incentives. 



Unlocking_Talent_Fulfilling_Potential
(PDF Document, 2.63 MB)

Academies: School Meals

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of exempt academies have not voluntarily signed up to the School Food Standards.

lord agnew of oulton: The government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and provide healthy, tasty and nutritious food and drink. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for the majority of schools, including all maintained schools. Academies and free schools are required to comply with the standards by virtue of their funding agreements, with the exception of a proportion that we expect to comply voluntarily. All new academies and free schools have mandatory compliance specified in their funding agreements by default, and when these agreements are updated, we will seek to include this. To date, over 1400 exempt academies have indicated they are following the School Food Standards voluntarily.

Students: Loans

baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, given that the Student Loans Company (SLC) has accepted responsibility for overpayments to healthcare students and that the SLC told students that they were not being overpaid, the SLC will write off overpayments to physiotherapy and other healthcare students.

viscount younger of leckie: The government announced on 18 April 2018 that the Student Loans Company (SLC) will provide support to ensure that none of the students affected by the error suffer hardship. Students affected by this will be eligible to apply for additional, non-repayable, support of up to £1,000 for the remainder of this academic year, and should contact the SLC. In addition, repayment of overpaid maintenance support will be deferred for all students affected until they have finished their courses and can afford to repay. Repayment of overpaid maintenance loans will happen via HM Revenue and Customs in the normal way, which is how students will have expected to repay their loans when they took them out.

Apprentices: Taxation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether £600 million has been spent on MBA style executive programmes from the apprenticeship levy fund; what assessment they have made of whether this such expenditure supports the goals and target beneficiaries of the fund; and what effect, if any, this will have on the support offered to new and less experienced employees.

lord agnew of oulton: Apprenticeship levels do not directly relate to degree based qualifications, therefore we do not hold data on how much levy funding has been spent on Master of Business Administration style executive programmes. The apprenticeships system has deliberately been designed to be employer-led. Employers are best placed to understand their own skills needs and to choose the apprenticeships to develop their own talent – whether that involves recruiting new people or re-training and upskilling existing staff.

Apprentices: Taxation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to address concerns that a lack of flexibility on the part of the apprenticeship levy regarding how companies are to spend funds prevents companies from investing in, and developing, the skills they require.

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the two-year time frame for companies to spend the apprenticeship levy to allow them to benefit from any unspent funds after the end of the two-year period.

lord agnew of oulton: The apprenticeship levy has been specifically designed to raise funds to support apprenticeships rather than wider skills training. We work with employers and wider stakeholders on a continuous basis to ensure that the delivery of apprenticeship funding meets their needs. For example, in response to employer feedback, we are making changes to the funding system with the introduction of transfers, which will enable employers to transfer up to 10 per cent of their funds to other employers. This will allow levy payers to work with other organisations, including within their supply chains, to encourage new apprenticeship starts. The 24 months expiry period is designed to give employers time to develop their apprenticeship programmes while encouraging employers to take action to create new apprenticeship opportunities. We currently have no plans to extend the expiry period, as this would likely lead to a delay in employer investment in apprenticeships.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Misconduct

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to reduce the number of days added to the sentences of prisoners for misconduct.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners had their sentences extended for misconduct in each year from 2011 to 2016.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cause of the increase in the number of days added to the sentences of prisoners for misconduct between 2011 and 2016.

lord keen of elie: Discipline procedures are central to the maintenance of a safe, decent and rehabilitative custodial environment. They require adjudications to be conducted lawfully, fairly and justly. Only Independent Adjudicators, who are District Judges or Deputy District Judges can, in cases deemed to be sufficiently serious, make an award of additional days. Additional days cannot extend the totality of the sentence imposed by the court but, they will have the effect of extending a person’s custodial time left to serve. The most serious offences are referred to the police. Information on the number of individual prisoners who were subject to punishments for disciplinary misconduct is not routinely extracted from the adjudications database as the primary purpose is to report on the volume of punishments imposed. In order to collect this specific information on prisoners, a matching exercise using prison population and adjudication databases would be required to identify each individual prisoner who was sanctioned under the Prison Rules, as a result of which the data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information on the number of occasions additional days were awarded to prisoners between 2011 and 2016 is publicly available and is published as part of the Offender Management Statistics bulletin. Table 1 below provides an extract from the published statistics, outlining the number of occasions additional days were awarded by offence during 2011-2016.Table 1: Awards of additional days by offence 2011 - 2016, England and Wales 201120122013201420152016Offence  8,6909,5379,12510,26513,00016,756Disobedience/Disrespect 1,3931,4551,4011,4571,7312,268Escape/Abscond 25207464Unauthorised transactions 5,1115,6685,2846,1867,7389,594Violence 1,1241,2321,2101,4121,6882,295Wilful damage 536611646471635740Other offences 5015515777351,2021,855(1) Adjudications are the procedure whereby offences against the Prison or Young Offender Institution Rules are alleged to have been committed by prisoners or young offenders (YOs). Under the Prison Rules, Governors may delegate the conduct of adjudications to any other officer of the prison or Young Offender Institution, who has passed the relevant authorised training course, has suitable operational experience and has been certified by the Governor as competent to carry out adjudication duties. (2) The number of offences refers to the number of adjudications for which one or more punishments may be imposed onto an offender. (3) The number of punishments refers to all proven adjudications and excludes all those that have been dismissed or not proceeded with.  The majority of punishments of added days are for unauthorised transactions, which concern illicit economies within prisons, such as possession and selling of forbidden items. We are working closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to improve the response to crime in prisons and to ensure that wherever possible and appropriate those who commit serious crimes in prison are punished through the courts rather than by the internal disciplinary system. We are also reviewing and sharing best practice from prisons who have built up excellent relationships with their local police forces. We are also reviewing the Adjudications policy set out in Prison Service Instruction 47/2011 as part of our ongoing Prison Reform Programme. The review incorporates a study to examine the impact of disciplinary adjudication punishments on custodial misconduct and provide a better understanding of ‘what works’ in terms of behaviour change.

Prison Officers

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison officers were in post on (1) 1 January 2011, and (2) 31 December 2016.

lord keen of elie: As at the 31 December 2010 (the closest available data point in time to the 1 January 2011) there were 24,500 full time equivalent Band 3-5 Prison Officers in post. As at the 31 December 2016 there were 17,887 full time equivalent Band 3-5 Prison Officers in post. As we focus on making our jails safe and decent places to support rehabilitation between the end of October 2016 and the end of March 2018 we have increased prison officer numbers by 3,111, which is already significantly over our target of 2,500 additional staff by the end of December 2018. These recruitment efforts form part of a wider drive to ensure that all prisons are fully staffed so that they can deliver safe and decent regimes

Slavery: Convictions

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many appeals have been brought against convictions under section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many appeals have been brought against convictions under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

lord keen of elie: The total number of appeals under section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is 6 and the total number of appeals under section 2 is 8.

Prisoners

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the number of the prison population aged 50 and over, broken down by (1) type of custody, (2) sex, and (3) whether they are repeat offenders or first time offenders.

lord keen of elie: The information requested in (1) and (2) are published on gov.uk as part of the quarterly prison population statistics.As at 31 December 2017, the number of the prison population aged 50 and over was 13,522. The breakdown of custody type and sex is provided below.(1) Custody Typei. On remand: 805ii. Sentenced: 12,640iii. Non-criminal: 77(2) Sexi. Male: 13,000ii. Female: 522  The information requested in (3) could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners' Release

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect to be in a position to release, on licence or otherwise, more prisoners serving indeterminate sentences following the introduction of tags incorporating GPS-based electronic location monitoring.

lord keen of elie: GPS location monitoring will be available next year and may be used to monitor a licence condition. Although it is not possible to predict whether this will result in more prisoners serving indeterminate sentences being released, a recent pilot has demonstrated a demand for this technology in the management of individuals released by the Parole Board.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Prices

lord kerslake: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whetherthe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,using data from the Office for National Statistics, has identified a link between immigration and increased house prices; what are the data; and what is the underpinning analysis.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department published the relevant analysis on 13th April and it is available here (attached):https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-the-determinants-of-house-price-changes.I have placed a copy in the Library of both houses.



House price changes
(PDF Document, 297.17 KB)

Grenfell Tower: Fire Regulations

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government who undertook the British Standard 476 fire test for a 30 minute fire door on the Manse Masterdor fire doors installed in Grenfell Tower.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Any doors tested from Grenfell Tower have been commissioned by the Metropolitan Police as part of their investigation and it is not for the Department to comment on. Tests of doors from the same manufacturer commissioned by MHCLG have to date been undertaken by BRE Global Ltd and Exova Group plc.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with regard to the death of a British soldier in Syria on 29 March, whether they have received advice concerning the legal basis for the presence of British soldiers in Syria; and if so, what was that advice.

earl howe: Sergeant Tonroe, who was killed on 29 March, was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation. The legal basis for operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria is the collective self-defence of Iraq.

Ministry of Defence: Databases

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Ministry of Defence's data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the security of its data and other assets very seriously. It is MOD policy that where possible and practicable, information and systems should be retained in the UK, rather than off-shore. We do not comment publicly on specific security arrangements or procedures.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Databases

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of theDepartment for Work and Pensions' data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

baroness buscombe: The breakdown of the Departments data hosting arrangements are (1) 95 per cent UK 2) 5 per cent overseas. The Department's overseas hosting is held within a single location within the EU.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report in the Farmers Guardian that up to a quarter of UK farms could go bankrupt after the UK leaves the EU;and what reassurances they can give to farmers thattheir plans for changes to farm payments will not forcefarmers out of business.

lord gardiner of kimble: The government does not accept the view described in the article which was simply reflecting the political opinion of certain individuals. The government has committed to keep the budget spent on agriculture the same for the duration of this parliament and we have been clear that changes will be phased gradually. Leaving the EU is a great opportunity to develop improved and more coherent policy for agriculture and the farmed environment.

Dairy Farming

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to assist dairy farmers to stay in business.

lord gardiner of kimble: Milk prices have recovered substantially since the deep decline in 2015/16. The UK average farm gate milk price in February 2018 was 7.9 % higher than the same month last year, and 29% higher than in February 2016. The long-term prospects are very positive with huge opportunities for the sector to grow. Leaving the EU offers an opportunity to boost farm profitability through supporting innovation and investment and promoting skills development. Additionally, in response to the call for evidence on the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, the Government announced plans to introduce a number of targeted measures to help boost the resilience of the dairy industry and to improve transparency along the supply chain. Earlier this year the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme was launched, offering grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 for a range of equipment to improve productivity on farms. This follows on from the £40 million of grants launched at the World Dairy Summit in October last year to support investment in cutting edge technology and new equipment. In February, the Government published a consultation document ‘Health and harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit’. This initiated a ten week consultation period to seek the views of all interested stakeholders on the policy framework for agriculture in England after the UK leaves the EU. In our consultation we have provided clear direction for future farm support – public money for public goods.

Ivory: Trade

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they intend to take to eradicate the market in ivory to protect the world’s population of elephants.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK is leading global efforts to protect elephants. On 3 April, the Government confirmed that it will introduce a ban on the sale of ivory items of all ages in the UK with narrow and limited exemptions. Primary legislation will be required to implement this ban and the Government will introduce a Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows. This proposed ban will be the toughest in Europe and amongst the toughest in the world. It will send the strongest possible message that the UK does not consider commercial trade in any ivory that could fuel poaching to be acceptable. The ban will complement other action that the Government is taking to tackle elephant poaching and the broader illegal wildlife trade. We are investing £26 million globally to tackle the systemic issues driving the illegal wildlife trade, and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund has already provided £14 million for 47 projects around the world. This includes supporting key countries to develop National Ivory Action Plans. The Government will also continue to call on other countries to take action on addressing the illegal wildlife trade. We will be bringing global leaders back to London in October 2018 for the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference, working with our international partners to tackle this criminal trade. This will include taking action to protect elephants.

Rhinoceros Products: Trade

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they intend to take to eradicate the market in rhino horn products to protect the world’s population of rhinoceroses.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to eradicate the market in rhino horn and ensure the survival of rhinos in the wild. We have been working closely with international partners to agree tough measures to protect rhinos through our involvement in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Since 2001 strict measures have been in place in the UK on both the re-export and sale of rhino horn and products derived from it and since 2010, the UK has not authorised the sale of, or other commercial trade in, rhino horn except in exceptional circumstances. The UK has worked with other EU Member States to take similar action to the UK which led to new European Commission guidance to this effect. At the CITES Standing Committee in November last year, the UK was again invited to chair the Inter-sessional Working Group on Rhinoceroses to evaluate Parties’ implementation of the Resolution on Conservation and Trade of African and Asian Rhinoceroses which includes measures to prevent and combat rhinoceros poaching and trafficking in rhinoceros horn. The Working Group will report its findings to the 70th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee which will take place in October this year. Poaching is one of the main threats for the survival of rhinos. Combatting the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), including eradicating the market for rhino horn, is a priority for the UK Government. This is why we are investing £26 million globally and working with international partners to tackle the systemic issues driving IWT. The UK will bring global leaders back to London in October 2018 to make sure that IWT stays at the top of the political agenda, that participants deliver on existing commitments and to instigate new partnerships for action.

Plastics: Recycling

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from industry groups and local authorities regarding proposals to increase plastic recycling.

lord gardiner of kimble: In January this year, the Government published its 25 Year Environment Plan. It sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by taking action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life. At the production stage, we will encourage producers to take more responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and make sure plastic items are more carefully designed. At the consumer stage, we want to reduce demand for single use plastic. At the end of life stage, we will make it easier for people to recycle and increase the amount of plastic being recycled. We have actively engaged with a wide range of industry groups and local authorities on measures to increase plastic recycling as part of developing our 25 Year Environment Plan, including seeking their ideas on improving current policies. We will continue to work with industry groups and local authorities in taking forward the actions needed to deliver the Plan.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Databases

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs'data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

lord gardiner of kimble: 95% of Defra’s data is hosted in the UK.5% of Defra’s data is hosted overseas (predominantly in Dublin, Republic of Ireland).

Pet Travel Scheme

baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the EU on pet passports in the context of Brexit; and, following those discussions, what advice they will provide to pet owners who regularly travel between the UK and the EU with their pets.

lord gardiner of kimble: Whilst we remain a member of the EU, we continue to be signed up to the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme. At present, the Government is negotiating our departure from the EU and Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements, including those for the Pet Travel Scheme.The rules governing pet travel will continue to apply throughout any implementation period. In the meantime, the Government remains committed to keeping pet owners informed of any changes that could affect travelling between the UK and EU with their pets, and will do so in a prompt and timely manner.

Fisheries

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 11 April (HL6658), whether the White Paper will include (1) proposals to provide financial support to the British fishing industry following 29 March 2019, and (2) measures to prevent overfishing of British waters by foreign factory ships.

lord gardiner of kimble: We will be publishing a White Paper in due course, setting out our future vision for sustainable fisheries management. The White Paper will be followed by a Fisheries Bill which will ensure that the UK has the legal powers necessary to manage our fisheries in the future.

Home Office

Slavery

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 28 March (HL6484), whether first responders other than the police who make a referral to the National Referral Mechanism are required to contact the police to make a crime report.

baroness williams of trafford: All referrals of potential victims of modern slavery made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are shared with the relevant police force to either record a modern slavery crime or to record a crime related incident. This function is carried out by the NRM Competent Authorities rather than NRM First Responders.The criteria determining whether the police record a modern slavery crime or a crime related incident upon receipt of an NRM referral is published in the Home Office Counting Rules For Recorded Crime, attached and available online at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/694433/count-violence-apr-2018.pdf



count-violence-apr-2018
(PDF Document, 713.02 KB)

Slavery: Children

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle modern slaveryinvolving children; and what financial support they are giving to local authorities, in thecontext of the level of funding available for children’s services by 2020.

baroness williams of trafford: Tackling human trafficking and modern slavery remains a top priority for this Government and we are committed to stamping out this abhorrent crime. The Government recognises the particular vulnerabilities of child victims of modern slavery, including trafficking, and acknowledges the tailored support these children require in order to addresses their specific needs and vulnerabilities. To achieve this, the Government will continue with the implimentation of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates nationally; has committed £2.2m from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund to seven organisations to support victims of child trafficking, with a number of these projects working directly with local authorities to support trafficked children in their care; commissioned training for existing Independent Advocates which are a statutory provision available to all looked after children; and, working alongside our NGO partners, have trained thousands of foster carers, so that they are more aware of the specific needs of children who have been trafficked. Funding for children’s services is an un-ring-fenced part of the wider local government finance settlement, to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities, including tackling modern slavery. In addition, where a victim of modern slavery or potential victim of modern slavery is also an unaccompanied asylum seeking child, the Home Office provide separate funding to the local authority. These funding arrangements are currently under review.

Social Services: Children

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultationsthey heldwith local authorities, prior to the announcement of the Serious Violence Strategy, to ascertain the extent of, and any adverse impact of, reduced resources on those support servicesthat will no longer be available for children, young people, and families.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government held a series of engagement events with key partners as part of the development of the Serious Violence Strategy, which included the Local Government Association. The evidence behind a range of possible factors for the recent increases in serious violence were considered and the result of that analysis is now set out in Chapter One of the Serious Violence Strategy.

Cabinet Office

Public Consultation

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public consultations they have initiated since May 2015; how many have resulted in a published report or conclusion; how many of those were produced within six months of the closing date of the consultation; and for how many public consultations they have yet to publish a report or conclusion.

lord young of cookham: Granular information on consultations across all individual departments is not centrally held in the form requested, as individual departments are responsible for their consultations. The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government Consultation Principles, which provide departments with guidance on conducting consultations. That guidance sets out that consultations and any response to them should be published on gov.uk. The Cabinet Office is taking further steps to assess the number of public consultations which have closed but have not concluded.

Government Departments: Billing

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Government contractors were paid on time in the last year for whichfigures are available.

lord young of cookham: This information is not held centrally. Government departments publish their payment performance on a quarterly basis on GOV.UK, but this does not provide an analysis by supplier.Data published in 2016-17 shows that all major departments, apart from one (at 69%), were meeting their 5 days payment target and that all departments were paying at least 98% of their invoices within the 30 day target, with a third of departments achieving 100%.

Emergencies: Telecommunications Systems

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any,to upgrade the High Integrity Telecommunications System.

lord young of cookham: The current contract for the High Integrity Telecommunications System (HITS) will end in March 2019. A review is currently underway to determine the requirement for a successor system and the associated costs.

Emergencies: Telecommunications Systems

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sites in the UK are connected to the High Integrity Telecommunications System.

lord young of cookham: The High Integrity Telecommunications System (HITS) is a resilient communications solution providing a voice and data link to 47 fixed sites across the UK. It is intended to provide failsafe communications in times of national crisis, connecting local responders and the Devolved Administrations with COBR.

Emergencies: Telecommunications Systems

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in (1) replacing the High Integrity Telecommunications System mobile terminals that were withdrawn from service in 2013, and (2) introducing improvements aimed at increasing ease of access to, and thus usability of, the network that were due to be announced by the end of 2016.

lord young of cookham: Telecommunications System (HITS) will end in March 2019. A review is currently underway to determine the requirement for a successor system, including ease of access, mobility and usability.

Cabinet Office: Databases

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Cabinet Office data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.

lord young of cookham: Information on what percentage of Cabinet Office data is hosted is not collated centrally and can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Brexit

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so when, they propose to consult on proposals to legislate for UK common frameworks to (1) enable the functioning of the UK internal market, (2) ensure compliance with international obligations, (3) ensure that the UK can negotiate, enter into, and implement new trade agreements and international treaties, (4) enable the management of common resources, (5) administer and provide access to justice in cases with a cross-border element, and (6) safeguard the security of the UK.

lord young of cookham: Since July 2017, the UK Government has been working closely with the devolved administrations on the policy areas where common frameworks may be required after exiting the EU. The Government published its provisional analysis of this work in March and that initial analysis now enables a conversation beyond governments, in an open and transparent manner. These issues are of central importance to Parliament and the devolved legislatures, but also to businesses and wider stakeholders whose day to day activities will be affected by these decisions. This analysis is part of an ongoing dialogue, not a final position. The conclusions it sets out are provisional and continue to be discussed with the devolved administrations, parliamentarians and external stakeholders. The Government will continue to consult interested parties as this work develops.

Brexit

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many bills they intend to bring forward to legislate for UK common frameworks; what subjects those bills will cover; and whether they plan to publish those first as draft bills.

lord young of cookham: The Government’s provisional frameworks analysis published in March sets out the 24 policy areas in which it envisages a legislative common framework, either in whole or in part. This analysis remains provisional and is subject to ongoing work with the devolved administrations, parliament and external stakeholders. Where legislation is required, the Government seeks to publish bills in draft wherever possible.

Brexit

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the planned legislation on UK common frameworks will require the consents of each of the devolved legislatures.

lord young of cookham: Her Majesty’s Government will abide by existing practices and conventions when deciding whether to seek the consent of the devolved legislatures for future UK primary legislation that creates a legislative framework.

Cost of Living

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatwas the percentage cost-of-living increases nationally during each of the last five years; and whatwas the annual percentage increase in rates in Northern Ireland over the same period.

lord young of cookham: ​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to Lord Maginnis of Drumglass, dated 20 April 2018  Dear Lord Maginnis, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what was the percentage cost-of-living increases nationally during each of the last five years; and what was the annual percentage increase in rates in Northern Ireland over the same period (HL6934). The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) is our most comprehensive measure of inflation, and measures the change in price of a fixed basket of goods and services. The 12-month percentage change in the index is published on a monthly basis. The table below summarises the average 12-month percentage change for each of the last five years. Table 1: Annual average percentage 12-month change, CPIH, UK, 2013 to 2017 YearAnnual average 12-m change (%)20132.320141.520150.420161.020172.6 These data are taken from Table 10 of our Consumer Price Inflation bulletin[1]. In this publication you will also find the 12-month CPIH inflation rates, and similar figures for the Consumer Prices Index (CPI, the Monetary Policy Committee’s current inflation target). CPIH is the same as CPI but includes Council Tax and a measure of owner occupiers’ housing costs, which are not included in CPI. CPIH and CPI are both National Statistics. Unfortunately, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not currently produce an inflation measure for Northern Ireland. This is because the price sample is optimised at the national level and therefore regional price samples are small. Nevertheless, I do recognise that there is an important user need for regional measures of inflation, and to address this ONS have asked the University of Southampton to carry out a feasibility study into calculating regional price indices[2]. You may also be interested to know that ONS analysis suggests that prices in Northern Ireland were on average 2.3% lower than the UK average for 2016. (Note that this analysis refers to the relative difference in price between regions, which is distinct from the rate at which prices change over time). This is taken from our Relative Regional Consumer Price Levels of Goods and Services, UK: 2016 publication[3], which is based on estimates produced for Eurostat once every 6 years. Yours sincerely John Pullinger   [1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/ukconsumerpriceinflationmar2018[2] See our Consumer Prices Development Plan, section 3.3.5[3]https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/relativeregionalconsumerpricelevelsuk/2016

Local Government: Elections

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans to allow local council candidates to avoid their home addresses being disclosed on official notices and ballot papers will be optional; and whether candidates not wishing to state their home address will be given the alternative of stating in which local government ward they reside, similar to the provisions for parliamentary candidates.

lord young of cookham: The Government is committed to removing the requirement for candidates standing as local councillors to have their home addresses published on the ballot paper. This requirement will be replaced with an option to include a statement of residence based on an electoral area the candidate lives in rather than having to include a specific address, in line with the provisions in place for candidates at UK parliamentary elections. We are currently working through the detail in discussion with relevant stakeholders, including what level of location information is appropriate, and how the provisions will be implemented in practice.

Suicide: Males

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many men under the age of 45 died as a result of suicide in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

lord young of cookham: ​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to Lord Black of Brentwood, dated 24 April 2018 Dear Lord Black, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking how many men under the age of 45 died as a result of suicide in each of the last ten years for which figures are available (HL7045).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes suicide statistics for the UK, constituent countries, regions and local authorities in England and Wales in our annual bulletin which can be found on the ONS website[1].Table 1 shows the number of suicides in males under the age of 45 for the last ten years for which data are available, in the UK. Table 1: Number of suicides in males under the age of 45, deaths registered in 2007 to 2016, UK[2],[3],[4],[5][6]2007200820092010201120122013201420152016Number of Suicides2257239123132145235923362286215321942180  Yours sincerely John Pullinger[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2016registrations[2] The National Statistics definition of suicide is intentional self-harm (ICD10 codes X60-X84) for those aged 10 and over and Injury/poisoning of undetermined intent (ICD10 codes Y10-Y34) for those aged 15 and over.[3] Figures are for persons aged 10 years and over.[4] Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner’s inquest, it can take months or even years for a suicide to be registered. More details can be found in the 'Suicides in the UK' bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/previousReleases[5] Deaths of non-residents are included in figures for the UK.[6] Figures for the UK include data kindly provided by the National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Treasury

Duchy of Cornwall: VAT

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Duchy of Cornwall is subject to rules relating to Value Added Tax (VAT) on the same basis as other bodies; if so, whether the Duchy is registered for VAT; and how much VAT was charged by the Duchy in each of the last two financial years.

lord bates: The Duchy of Cornwall is subject to VAT on the same basis as other bodies. In response to the second and third parts of the question, HM Revenue and Customs ensures that everyone pays the tax they owe under the law. They cannot comment on the detailed affairs of individual taxpayers.

Financial Services: Overseas Trade

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 29 March (HL6581), whether the US Department of the Treasury has indicated in recent meetings with Her Majesty's Government any change to its opposition to including financial services in trade negotiations, as identified by the EU Committee in its report The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, published on 13 May 2014 (14th Report, Session 2013–14, HL Paper 179).

lord bates: Her Majesty’s Treasury and the US Department of the Treasury have ongoing discussions on a range of financial services issues, including ensuring continuity when the UK leaves the EU. As the UK is currently an EU Member State, trade negotiations are the exclusive competence of the EU Commission and the UK is bound by the duty of sincere cooperation. During the implementation period, the UK will be able to forge its own way by negotiating, ratifying and signing with new partners across the world. We will only bring new arrangements into force after the conclusion of the implementation period.

Enterprise Management Incentives

lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to apply for an extension of the EU State Aid Exemption for the Enterprise Management Incentives scheme which expired on 6 April.

lord bates: The Government began the process of renewing the State Aid approval for the Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme early last year. The European Commission are considering the application.A further update will be provided in due course.

Taxation

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 19 March (HL6520), why they have not estimated the number oftax residency self-certification forms that have been completed or will be completed annually in future; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which a full regulatory impact assessment can be prepared without such estimates.

lord bates: The Common Reporting Standard (CRS) is the global standard for the exchange of financial account information. Under the CRS financial institutions are required to obtain and report the tax residence information of their account holders. The information that tax authorities will receive under the CRS is a vital part of global efforts to tackle offshore tax evasion and increase tax transparency. Under the CRS financial institutions are required to carry out due diligence procedures, including obtaining tax residency self-certifications from some account holders.HMRC does not consider estimating the number of tax residency self-certification forms received by financial institutions or estimating how many account holders annually will self-certify in future to be a useful exercise at this time. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published on 18 March 2015 in accordance with the government’s tax policy making process.HMRC continues to monitor the impact of the CRS through information collected through the information exchange arrangements, competent authority discussions, tax returns and compliance work undertaken by HMRC.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Housing: Broadband

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with housing developers about ensuring high speed broadband connectivity to new housing developments, in particular rural housing developments.

lord ashton of hyde: The Department regularly discusses with housing developers how high speed broadband connectivity can be delivered to new housing developments. In early 2016, DCMS brokered an agreement between Openreach and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) so that all new build developments would be offered with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) for free, or as part of a co-funded initiative. This agreement - between the largest home builders organisation, whose members contribute approximately 80% of all private new homes in England and Wales, and the largest network provider - continues to be refined and improved, with input from DCMS. Originally, the threshold was for developments of 250 units or above, then lowered to 100, and is 30 today. Virgin Media and GTC - another infrastructure provider - have similar agreements with the HBF. Rural connectivity is a priority and my officials are working with Defra, MHCLG and industry stakeholders to ensure that high quality digital connectivity reaches all areas of the UK. My Department’s Barrier Busting Task Force continue to engage with the HBF and other house builders and further to this are exploring policy options that will make provisions for ultrafast broadband to be standard in all new homes, ensuring that residents receive the connectivity they deserve.